Small Gestures

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One of the things that I've wanted to cross off my scrappy bucket list is painting/chalking/inking (and for those of you that have mists- misting) using a template of some kind. Since I have none of those things in my arsenal as of yet, I used what I had on hand. While it may not look as nice as spray inks and proper templates do, I still really like the effect this created.

I used what I had on hand- being Stampin' Up ink, and a paper (dollar store) doily. Then, I took a sponge dauber and inked away! Once that was done, I layered on the elements and called it done.

Before that, though, I altered a few other items. The bird within the frame is a K& Co chipboard frame, and it was fairly blah being an off-white with barely there script scrolling across it. If you were going for a monochromatic colour scheme, it would be beautiful. I wanted more colour, so I used Summer Sun ink (SU) to fill in the scalloped edge, then Cameo Coral for the flowers, and lastly Old Olive for the leaves. For the bird, I used Martha Stewart glitter in Peridot. (I used Always Artichoke ink for blending in the shape of the doily).

The butterflies are vellum, and they're also K&Co. We all know what vellum looks like, and they seemed to be a little lost on the layout- blending in with the white background. Once again, perfect if you're going for a monochromatic colour scheme. With my sponge dauber, I painted them in using Cameo Coral and Ruby Red.

To ground my picture, I threw on a piece of scrap patterned paper (from K&Co's Itsy Bitsy 6x6 paper pad), and then flipped over a smaller piece of the same patterned paper for the sentiment, which is a rub-on and I'm not sure where it came from anymore.

I think the girls sat outside one evening with their daddy while he had his 'yucky smoke', and when they came back in, they were holding some flowers that had come from the flowerbed underneath my living room window. Never mind they came from my own garden- they're still beautiful, and I loved the gesture!

Somebody...

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I wanted to find a layout with room for lots of journalling on this one (and, as it turns out, there still wasn't enough room, lol). There is a small piece of orange card stock thats peeking out from behind all the other layers of patterned paper, at the top of the page. That little piece of paper looks as though its part of the layering, but it isn't! Its actually more journalling. I figured it would work, since the title work is also in the same colour.

Oi. Where do I start on this one? I've alluded to personal struggles in my blog before. I am not sure if I've alluded to the marital problems we are also facing. The bottom line is our communication sucks, and in a few short days, we'll be seeing someone that hopefully will be able to help us straighten things out and get us (eventually) back to where we started- or even better- beyond where we started.

The personal struggles- all stem back to feeling overwhelmed raising the twins on my own. At least, that's the way it feels. When Kyle is busy with work, he's rarely around. When he is around, he offers very little help around the house and with raising the kids. My plate is full and its wearing me down- and out. I can't help but feel incredibly jealous of the freedom he has in coming and going- as he pleases and when he pleases. I don't get that luxury anymore. In fact, all the 'luxuries' that I took for granted when we were dating, married (and when I was single) have all been stripped from me. My whole world day, night and otherwise, is KIDS- dirty diapers, fighting toddlers, wiping up messes, trying to stay on top of my own messes and HIS to boot, keeping everyone happy (though miserably failing in that department) and somehow, in between everything else, magically finding time for myself.

The luxury of friends, the freedom to 'pick up and go' as I please, being alone, doing what I want and what I like- all of that takes the back seat because I have to ensure everyone else is cared for first. So much so, that I don't even remember who I was, what I was like, what I liked to do (other than scrapbooking, naturally). Now all I know is constant anger, frustration, and unhappiness.

When everything is stripped away- the frustration, the exhaustion, the depression, the loneliness--I LOVE what I have- a husband and two beautiful children. I still want more.

But, what I need is for my husband to realize that I need help, and I need to carve out some time for myself- alone- and time with him, as a couple. There are several key areas in our relationship that's been lacking for a number of years, and no matter how often I bring up the subject, and tell him what I need, nothing ever changes. I don't know how to get through and how to open his eyes to the reality of what things are. The thing is, I want his help with some things before I go to someone else for help. This is his family, not somebody else's. When he takes responsibility for his kids too, one hurdle will be overcome. All that means is I want him to offer to bath the kids every once in a while, change dirty diapers every once in a while, bring the dishes to the sink for me and rinse them off (or better yet, if I'm not feeling good, or if I've run out of time and need to do something else, jump in and get the dishes/vacuuming/ tidying up, etc. done without me even having to ask!) clean up his own messes instead of waiting for me to do it for him, and realize that I need to get out (and getting a job isn't my idea of 'free time' and 'personal time') and give me the freedom to do that without feeling pressure to get home as soon as possible, or guilt for even wanting some time for myself.

While it sounds like he's massively lazy, he does do a few things to help me out (such as mowing the lawn and every once in a while, cooking supper, and taking the garbage to the curb), there isn't much else that he willingly does around the house. I mentioned above that I want him/need him to take responsibility for his family. He also needs to take responsibility for himself. The only thing (in my opinion) he prides himself on is his job. He devotes all of his time to his job, and has little- if anything at all- left for anything else after he comes home. Its to the point where I need to figure out how I would be able to get the lawn mowed myself, with the kids hanging around, or how I'm going to get weeding done (in the front yard) with the kids around, or even how I could wash my own vehicle in the driveway without worrying about them running away. Some things just aren't possible for me to do right now, and because of his lack of enthusiasm/motivation/dedication, I have to figure out how to do even that on my own. Everything just keeps piling on top of everything else.

And, I'm drowning in it.

Well, in a pretty bit nutshell, that's what this layout is about. Though, the journalling in my layout is the abridged version of what I've written here. Truthfully, I could write a whole lot more- nasty, hurtful, vengeful- all types of words, but I won't. I don't need to. The day is coming where I can get everything off my chest- in a controlled, and safe environment. And, that's not to say I'll be rude and mean (intentionally) about it. I can't say where our relationship will be after all is said and done, but hopefully we can work through it all!

Besties

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Do you have a friend that is very special to you? Do you get to see her (or him) very often? Have you been friends for so.long that you don't even remember when you first met?

We've been through a lot, A and I, and our friendship has weathered a lot of storms. There have been times where we haven't been close and haven't had much contact, but somehow, our friendship has defied the 'friends for a season' cliche, and its withstood the test of time. Not many friendships last that long, and if they do, they're one in a million. Our friendship is one of those that even if we drift apart and our lives get in the way, we'll still be able to pick up where we left off.

I'm so thankful that happened with our move back to Alberta. Not that we didn't stay in touch while we lived in a completely different province. We did. But, now that we're so.much.closer, we've renewed the desire to meet up as much as our schedules allow. We often don't get to talk much in-between, but when we do have a coffee date planned, there's a ton to share! I actually kind of like it that way. Then we never have anything dull to talk about, and its never repeated 20 million times. Its always fresh and new.

We've discovered that the best way for us to get the most amount of time to visit (while also knocking off a must-do chore from our ever-growing to-do lists), is to book our hair appointments together. Yeah, it only happens every 6-8 weeks, but it works so well for us! We usually meet up for lunch beforehand, chit chat through our meal, and then continue on while we're having our hair done. Its wonderful! And, kudos' to our hairdresser for being willing to do our hair at the same time. She's an absolute blessing! In the end, that's an entire afternoon catching up with my bestie.

This layout is a mix and match of all sorts of papers. Some of it is Recollections, some of it is K&Co, some of it is DCWV (I think) and some of it is even Sandy Lion. That little piece of ribbon at the top, above the picture? Hidden journalling.

Tomorrow I'll be sharing another layout, but that one is fairly personal. Upon hearing that scrapping the hard times as well as the good could be therapeutic, I decided to take that advice and get 'er done. It may not appeal to some of you, and if not, that's totally fine. Just come back whenever you're ready!

Till then,

~a

Visit

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I thought I'd share a big photo post because I'm starting to find that I'm getting mixed up the farther behind I am posting here to my blog! So, if I can keep up with my online gallery posts, I shouldn't hopefully get confused anymore. There's two layouts that I'm pretty sure I haven't posted, but I am not 100% sure. I need to go back through my posts and double check, but I'm too lazy. Maybe one day I will, but not now lol. 

These three layouts occurred back at the end of June, when Kyle's mom and step dad came up to visit. In the first layout, Addison was saying hi to grandma- they had just arrived. I wanted to stick with a green and yellow colour palette, and when I adhered the block sticker letters (they're actually the negative of the letters that were there at one time), they just didn't look right to me. I doodled the stitching onto each of the letters- I kind of like it. I love the homespun look, and that's how this looks to me.

Every piece of paper on that layout is scraps, save for the green polka dotted patterned paper in the background, and the grey piece of card stock everything is matted to. The flower embellies and the sentiment are Sandy Lion (dollar store), and the button is miscellaneous. This layout was also made using the week 1 sketch (July's) over at the monthly sketch challenge on scrapbook.com.

The next layout was made using another sketch, but this time I found it over at Page Maps (July 2009). A little later on that afternoon (when the grandparents arrived), the kids played in their pool and chased the new dog (to the grandparents) around. I wanted to especially highlight the picture of Addison switching hats with her grandpa- it just shouts all kinds of adorable to me!! Once again, all the embellishments on that layout are from the Dollar Store. (I have to admit, I'm quite impressed with the scrapbooking goodies our local Dollar Store carries...I think I should shop there a little more often!)

The last layout was done with my own brain power. I wanted to make this layout look like a magazine spread, because honestly, I {humbly} think it should be in a magazine! While the in-laws were here, they finally got my bed finished. 

Bed finished you're asking yourself. Yes, finished. What began as a project that I wanted done while I was pregnant and living in Saskatchewan (I couldn't do it myself because of said pregnancy), wasn't actually tackled AND/OR finished until 2.5 years later and in a totally new province. Kyle had been hanging onto his waterbed frame (who knows why), and he asked me if I would like to use it as the frame for our bed. Yes, I told him, but only as long as it was made over. I loathed the 80's finish on it, and the horrid 80's frosted mirror that came along with it. Tacckkkyyyyy was all I could think. 

I was a little afraid of how the mirror would look in it after we stripped the varnish, re-painted and aged the wood (which apparently was super simple- just mix half water and half paint, and once that dries, take steel wool and rub it over the wood. The more you steel wool your wood, the more antiqued/aged it becomes). But, it actually looks surprisingly good! (Now if only the mirror wasn't cracked). 

(And, on a side note, the red blanket that's on our bed in the picture doesn't actually belong there. My colour scheme in our bedroom is grey and aquamarine/bluey...the comforter that matches the pillows on the bed is too hot in the summer, hence the red blanket...)

I bought new curtains so that our room wouldn't feel so heavy and dark (because everything that belongs on our bed actually came in a bed in a bag- including curtains), and I love how airy and summery it feels. These were clearance at Fields, because they were (are) closing out. I also bought brown ones, which are still yet to be hung in my living room. Maybe one day! Mayyybeee...when I get the custom shelving units that my dad is kindly going to build for me, which will be placed on either side of my living room window! That would be the most opportune time! (Pictures will follow when said project is actually completed!)

OK, back on task. The strips of patterned paper are both Recollections (My Favorite Things), and the buttons are once again miscellaneous. The title work was stamped using Basic Black ink (SU), and the banner sticking out from the side of the picture is hidden journalling. The scalloped border punch is Martha Stewart.

And, speaking of visits, my sister and brother in law were down for the night, as I mentioned in yesterdays post. I got spoiled again today! The kids and I had a rotten sleep last night- we were up every hour overnight, for one reason or another. Just before noon, J noticed me trying to stay awake while we were hanging out in the living room. The kids began asking for lunch, and he offered to make the mac and cheese while I went for an hours' nap. Bless his heart! I actually got to sleep for an hour and fifteen minutes, and it was the most well spent (personal) hour I've had all week! 

I'm thinking that I'll have to go out and buy them some hershey's kisses and make them a card to thank them for their kindness to me over the last two days. Its really meant a lot! (Though, I'm sure they feel indebted to us because we're taking their kitty in as our own until further notice). On a brighter note, make sure you watch for more layouts with Neruda (kitty) in them from now on...once she gets accustomed to the kids and our house, I'm sure there'll be a lot of her! To help you remember who I'm talking about, here she is: 

Blessing

I had the first night in eons tonight to finally just sit and relax during the kids' regular bath time. It was an absolute dream come true! And, the icing on the cake--the living room was tidied up for me while I ran out to the grocery store to pick up hamburger buns so I could make supper for all of us!

No, my husband didn't do it.

My person- sweet, incredible, so-blessed-to-know SISTER did it for me. 

I've told her a couple times already tonight a sincere, heartfelt thank you, but I don't think she fully understands just how sincere and heartfelt my thank you's are! I mean it from the bottom of my {broken and exhausted} little heart.

It was a GREAT day for me today!

Its reveal day over at Lets Capture Our Memories, so I've got a new sketch and layout to share with you. But, since I still haven't figured out how to copy and paste the sketch into a blog post yet, you'll have to navigate yourself over to their blog to see for yourself- and in the process, check out everyone else's awesome takes on it. Pure genius, every single one of them!

This has got to be one of my most favourite sketches to date to work with. It came together remarkably quickly, and its so versatile and easy to manipulate. There's tons of room for creativity with this one- and if you like lots of white space in your projects, then this is the sketch for you!

On this particular layout, I used the script cuttlebug embossing folder to spruce up my orange piece of card stock- and for an even bigger bang, I lightly inked the raised portions using a sponge dauber. (I used Stampin' Up's More Mustard for the inking).

I also wanted a little bit of sparkle on this layout. I took another Cuttlebug embossing folder (one of the mini's that came along with the package when I bought it), and coloured the negative space in with my Stampin' Up water colour pencils (in red). Then I blended it in using the blender pen. The raised portions I filled in with my Martha Stewart glitter glue, then sprinkled my Martha Stewart Crystal Fine glitter powder onto. Let it dry, and you've got an adorable, glittery postage stamp that helps reinforce your title work- the girls love their horsey rides! I also glittered up the title work using the same glitter mentioned above.

The arrow is K&Co, and the 'washi tape' I created myself, using regular tape (not scotch, but the other kind- sorry brain fart) and Cherry Cobbler (SU) ink to paint it; then, I went back over it using Whisper White ink (SU) with a lined, miscellaneous stamp I've had around for ages. It didn't quite work to my liking, but I wound up loving its effect, anyways! Its obvious that it's lined, but with varying shades of red.

Lastly, just because I couldn't refuse, I added some pearl rhinestones for a little bit of glam.

So, there you have it- sketch 146 from LCOM! Hope you like it, and if you do use the sketch, don't forget to link up your project to Lets Capture Our Memories' blog post- we'd love to see how it inspires you, too!

~a

...Just Keep Swimming...

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Just like their parents, the girls took to the water like fish to the sea. They may still be afraid to lay on their back and float, and submerge their ears in it. If you ignore all that, water is their best friend. And, since I'm on the topic of water, my sister and I are splitting the cost of purchasing private swimming lessons for our mom. She never learned to swim, and we think she'd love it. Shhh--its for her birthday, which is coming up in a few short weeks. Don't tell her...its our little secret!

The kids spent a lot of time in their swimming pool this summer. All that hot weather was the perfect excuse to really break it in! If we weren't swimming in our own little swimming pool, we were taking in the spray park down at Rotary Park. It was like our second home this summer! I'm not sure how much time we'll have left anymore to visit the spray park, but it sure is a lot of fun. Hopefully we have a bit more time left! (Though, I'm really enjoying the current slipper and sweater weather that happily greeted us this morning).

The patterned papers that I used in this layout are from K&Co's Itsy Bitsy collection (the 8.5x8.5 paper pad). I love the colours and patterns in this collection! Great for babies and small, girly children. I picked up the pattern in Addisons' bathing suit (the circles/polka dots) and carried it into my layout- both in a scallop border and polka dot embellishment. To make the circles, I used my ancient Creative Memories circle punch (.5" and 1.5" punch). To make the scallop border, I just cut the circles in half and arranged them halfway across the page above my photo.

The 'you and me' tag is Sandy Lion (from the Dollar Store).

For a tiny bit of bling, I added white rhinestones, and stamped the title using alpha stamps from Michaels in Basic Black ink (SU). The date (6 and 12 that's inset in two of the circles) were stamped using Old Olive ink, also from SU.

That's all for now. Hope you're having a terrific evening!

Till next time,

~a

Scrap Paper Storage Solution

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Does it hurt your eyes to look at that mess? It sure hurt mine. I despised that storage method, and it wasn't until I got into my nesting mode that I seriously began thinking of a new storage method. I didn't take a picture of it, but MOST of my scrap paper was stored in an accordion file. Which, in its defence, wasn't all bad. I would just never look in it for scraps that I could use! (On a side note, now that I've got everything switched over into my new storage, I've made two layouts completely from scraps, except for a patterned paper base on one, and the card stock bases on both of them). In the accordion folder, everything was separated by style (striped, polka dot, floral, card stock, etc.). I've stored it that way for years. Both of these proved to be disastrous paper storage methods. I always, frequently, occasionally, rarely looked in them for the paper I wanted to/could potentially use on my cards and layouts!

If I did happen to look for something, it was always just browsing through the first top few pieces of scrap paper, and that was it. That system didn't work for me. Needless to say.

Since I'm in this nesting mode, I wanted to find something that better organized and kept my scraps neat and orderly looking. Via Pinterest, I found rolling hanging folder carts. Pure genius, and I would love to own one. They are also kind of pricey.

While dropping by Walmart quickly last week, something that looked like a small file storage system caught my eye. On our way out of the store, I made a quick detour down the stationery aisle to have a closer look. Low and behold, I had found hanging file storage systems. In fact, it is a desk top hanging file storage system. And, it rocks!

So, this is my plan. First, some pictures.

WAIT! I forgot to mention--it cost only $10- with the file folders included! I liked this style of paper storing so much, that I went and bought another one for all my scrap card stock! In the picture below, you'll see them both together.

(So, I know it looks like one giant hanging file folder storage system, but it really isn't! Its just two fit together, front to back). 

First, I sorted through all my paper while I was transferring between storage methods. Anything that was smaller than about 2x2 got tossed. That meant pieces of paper that are 1x12, etc. Realistically, I would probably never use pieces of paper that small, so there was no reason to hang on to them! And trust me, there were some pretty ridiculously small pieces of paper in my stash! (Some of them were from papers that I loved so much that I didn't want to part with them...little good that did, hey?? Its been 'x' amount of years later, and I had forgotten that they were even there.  Then, everything got sorted by colour, rather than brand or style. I don't have enough file folders for all the colours of the rainbow- I want enough so I have file folders for white, grey, black and brown. Currently, they are mixed in with yellow (white), orange (brown), and blue/purple (grey and black)- that's true for both my patterned papers and card stock. When I do get enough file folders, I want to paint them or somehow modify them to reflect the colour thats stored inside them. So, I'm filing them by colour (red file for red patterned paper and card stock, orange for orange patterned paper and card stock, etc.)

On a totally different topic, I've been researching ways to make the girls' halloween costumes this year. They want to dress up as butterflies. I've been latched on to the idea of making everything- wings, antennae, etc. untilllll I was in walmart this morning picking up a few necessities. The halloween merchandise is beginning to find its way onto the shelves, and I found butterfly wings- in a plethora of colors- and they're $4 EACH!!! I'm thinking it would be so.much.easier. to just buy the wings and make the rest of the costume! LOL

Really, all I need to do is find tutu's of some sort for the girls- they've got leg warmers already, and to make their antennae, I'm either going to tie their hair into pig tails, or buy a cheap head band and attach pipe cleaner to it. Eeek! They're going to be ridiculously adorable for halloween this year!!!!

What are you dressing your kids as for halloween?